Farm-to-Fork Week Cattle Drive Crosses Tower Bridge

The city that used to resent being called a "cow town" sponsored a small cattle drive today as part of the marketing of Farm-to-Fork events this week.

About four hundred people turned out to see fifty head of cattle cross the Tower Bridge into Sacramento this morning. The cattle drive is the kick off for the first-ever Farm-to-Fork Week in Sacramento.

Polly Allen of Sacramento packed her two children in a stroller to see about 50 longhorns cross the Tower Bridge.

"We stood on Capitol Mall and watched all the longhorns go friskily by. And then we actually chased them down the street so we could see them again. It was fun and a neat little morning. "

The Sacramento Convention and Visitors Bureau says the week of events is part of a campaign to be recognized nationally as a place to eat fresh food -including meat.

"Everybody thinks Farm-to-Fork is produce and vegetables and fruits and we wanted to make sure everybody else knew that is was about proteins," says the bureau's Mike Testa.

Cotton Rosser of Marysville supplied the cattle for the event.

"Milk doesn't come from the carton at 7-11. We have to have cows to have milk and we have to have all these things you know," says Rosser. "So, really it's just a great thing, and a tremendous bunch of people that showed up. It was really a very successful ride."

Jim Collin works nearby and also enjoyed seeing cattle trotting through town.

"It's been a movement for a while that people have been curious about where their food comes from and how it's prepared," he says. "This gives you a good example and experience

Other events this week include a wine tasting on Thursday at the State Capitol, a Farm-to-Fork festival on Capitol Mall Saturday, and several events at participating restaurants within Sacramento County.